1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A surveillance camera for outdoor use of which an imaging direction can be changed by driving a motor, and which can perform imaging at night is known (U.S. Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0043478). A camera drive housing is fixed to a mounting base of the surveillance camera. An upper part of the camera drive housing can be pan-pivoted about a pan-axis by a mounted pan-shaft drive motor. Base ends of a pair of parallel tilt-supporting arms are fixed to the upper part of the camera drive housing. Tips of the pair of tilt-supporting arms support a camera housing therebetween. The camera housing is tilt-rotatable about a tilt-axis which is spaced away from and perpendicular to the pan-axis, and is fixed to the tips of the pair of tilt-supporting arms. The camera housing is tilt-rotated by a mounted tilt-drive motor.
A camera is mounted in the camera housing. A camera window is provided on the front surface of the camera housing in order to allow visible light and infrared light transmitted therethrough to be incident to the camera. In the camera housing, a wiper that wipes the camera window is provided so as to be rotatable by driving of the motor. In addition, an illumination housing is fixed to and integrated with the upper part of the camera housing. An illumination device is mounted in the illumination housing. The illumination device emits illumination light through an opening provided in the illumination housing. The opening in the illumination housing is covered with an illumination window. The illumination device emits the illumination light along an optical axis of a camera lens. By the camera housing and the illumination housing being integrated, the surveillance camera changes a direction of illumination light in accordance with a pan or tilt operation of the camera.
The surveillance camera according to U.S. Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0043478 can image an area directly under the mounting base since the pair of tilt-supporting arms are disposed so as to be fixed to the camera drive housing at a predetermined angle. However, a rotation mechanism for tilt-rotating the camera housing is reserved in a space of both end portions opposing the tilt-supporting arms in the camera housing supported by the pair of tilt-supporting arms. Accordingly, the efficiency of using the space within the camera housing is deteriorated.